Page 99 of Into the Fire

I felt like I’d just signed a deal with the devil.

And I had. My devil.

I was good with that.

THIRTY-ONE

ENZO

“Hey. It’s Enzo. Checking in on you.” I sank onto my leather chair in the office, my phone pressed to my ear. It had been several weeks since Bianca’s death. The kings had been too quiet, and I felt the need to reach out and just check on them.

“I’m fine,” Dom’s voice came over the line.

“You don’t sound fine,” I said, frowning.

“I am.”

I was quiet for a moment. “We’re getting together tomorrow at the club as a means to relax. I was wondering if you and the guys would like to come out and blow off some steam.”

“Sure."

“Awesome.” I paused, needing to have a heart-to-heart with him. I knew he was going through a lot of pain. I could hear it in his voice. “Dominic. We’re friends, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m worried about you. I know you’re hurting. If you want to talk, I’m here.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “You wouldn’t know a thing about losing your wife, Enzo. You wouldn’t know what it felt like tohaul her burned corpse through ashes only to bury her in the middle of the fucking woods and beg her to come back.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t,” I murmured, the pain at ever losing Rosalie rolling through my body. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t understand the pain. I’m here if you need me. I’ll see you tomorrow. OK?”

“OK.”

“It’ll get better. I promise. You have to find your reason to push through the pain. Focus on feeling human again. We’ll talk tomorrow.” I hoped my words helped him.

He said nothing, the line going dead.

I sighed and placed my phone on my lap, rubbing my face. I was tired. I’d just gotten back from a meeting with Vander Veer and had to fight Celeste off with a stick. I was going to make it a point to request Vander Veer meet me in public without her. She didn’t take no for an answer, and I could have sworn old Vander Veer liked to wander off to leave her ass alone with me. Tonight, she’d rubbed against me like a cat in heat. I’d shoved her away, disgust rolling through me before I had to get physical with her by wrapping my hand around her throat and squeezing. The memory was too fresh in my mind.

“Fucking stop. I’m not interested in you,” I snarled, glaring down at her.

“You will be,” she rasped, a twisted smile on her face. “I know you will.”

“You’re fucking delusional. Knock your shit off. I really will kill you if you keep pressing the matter.”

She licked her lips, sickening me. I released her when I heard her father’s footsteps approaching.

My phone rang again, and I picked it up.

“Father,” I said into the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Can’t a father call his son?”

I sighed. “In my experience, your recent phone calls aren’t just to chit-chat.”

He let out a chuckle. “I just got off the phone with Vander Veer. His daughter is quite taken with you.”

I grunted, thoroughly sick of him trying to talk me out of my marriage to Rosalie. “I’m marrying Rosalie. That’s final.”

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